There are two South Pole Station webcams, one mounted on the Atmospheric Research Observatory (ARO) building and a second mounted behind the
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The ARO webcam focuses on the USAP station building, dedicated in 2008, and allows USAP participants, scientists, and
the general public to view activity and geophysical rarities at the South Pole. The ceremonial South Pole—seen in the image to the right—is located
in front of the building, on the right side of the image. The Skiway webcam focuses on the areas behind the station, depending on operational needs. This camera often
shows the skiway where planes are parked and unloaded (known as Pit One) and can include the GOES Dome satellite antenna.

Both cameras are used to monitor activities around the South Pole Station and will remain as permanent fixtures to support international scientific efforts.

Live webcam images from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station are based on two conditions: communications availability and the Antarctic seasons.

Communications Availability

Live images of the South Pole are carried to the U.S. via communications satellites. Satellite coverage of South Pole Station is available for roughly 9 hours each day,
during which time live images are sent to the USAP.gov web site. The daily satellite communications window occurs approximately four minutes earlier each day.

At the South Pole, the sun rises and sets based on seasons rather than days as it does in mid-latitudes; hence the famous polar six months of daylight and six months
of darkness. When available light and ambient temperatures become too low for the cameras to produce usable images on the web page, alternative content is inserted
in their place. Live images are available from approximately mid-November through early March.

NOTE: Camera images are often obscured due to harsh and unpredictable weather conditions.

The South Pole station is one of three year-around stations operated by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The other two United States Antarctic Program
stations are McMurdo Station on the Ross Island and Palmer Station on Anvers Island near the Antarctic Peninsula. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station sits at the
Earth's axis on a shifting continental ice sheet several miles thick.

The South Pole is a unique research site that supports projects ranging from cosmic observations to seismic and atmospheric studies. The extremely dry, cold air is perfectly
suited for observing Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB)
radiation-the faint light signature left by the Big Bang that brought the universe into being nearly 14 billion years ago. Another large astrophysical project at the pole is
IceCube—a
one-cubic-kilometer international high-energy neutrino detector built in the clear ice, 1.25-2.5 kilometers below the South Pole Station.

Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, dedicated in January 2008 during the first year of International Polar Year (IPY),
begins austral summer operations in October of each year. The station typically remains in summer operating mode until early February, at which point the eight-month long winter season begins.
At an elevation of 2,835 meters (9,300 feet), South Pole has an average monthly temperature in the austral summer of -28°C (-18°F); in the austral winter, the average monthly
temperature is -60°C (-76°F).